Flesh has been made invisible. By injecting glycerol into the skin of rats
and hamsters, Ashley Welch of the University of Texas and his colleagues made
small areas of flesh nearly transparent. Glycerol’s refractive index closely
matches that of collagen, so light isn’t scattered nearly so much. “It’s amazing
how well it works,” Welch says. The method only allows you to see 4 or 5
millimetres into the body. But this could be enough to make laser treatments
easier.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New ÒÁÈ˾þÃ
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New ÒÁÈ˾þà articles
1
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
2
Humans sleep the least of all apes – is it the secret to our success?
3
Our verdict on The Selfish Gene: An unpopular piece of popular science
4
US government wants to have a useful quantum computer by 2028
5
Childbirth for many primate species is even harder than for humans
6
Europe’s heatwave is the hottest and most humid ever
7
The best sci-fi novel in 2026 so far – plus 6 other great reads
8
We’ve uncovered a master gene that switches on human development
9
Woman with Alzheimer's starts conversing again after taking psilocybin
10
The lunar botanist with a plan to farm vegetables on the moon
